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12 reasons to upgrade to iOS 12 for iPhone, iPad if you just can't wait

From Screen Time limits to calling 911, iOS 12 promises to bring a number of features to your Apple devices. But installing a public beta is risky. First, back up your iOS device before installing the public beta. If you run into a major issue, you can always restore your device to iOS 11.

Apple on Monday released the public beta of iOS 12, the software that will be running at the core of the next iPhone and iPad, and, more than likely, the Apple phone and tablet you already own.

Since this is still an early prerelease beta, trying out iOS 12 now carries some risks, especially if you plan on installing the software on the Apple devices you use every day.

For starters, not all the apps you currently use may work with the public beta. You might experience bugs. Nor are all the features Apple is promising with iOS 12 available yet or fully finished. For example, the Shortcuts app that you might use to set up multistep workflows with Siri is not part of this initial public beta.

If you’re feeling brave and not willing to wait until iOS 12’s official release come fall, head to beta.apple.com to fetch iOS 12 for free.

But first, back up your iOS device before installing the public beta. If you run into a major issue, you can always restore your device to that iOS 11 backup.

I’ve been checking out iOS 12 on a loaner iPhone X. Here are some of the features there now and some that are coming later.

Screen Time

You can set time limits to prevent the overuse of certain apps.(Photo: Edward C. Baig)

This is the tool many of us have been waiting for, especially if you have kids who are addicted to their phones. But even we elders spend way too much time on our devices. Screen Time lets you apply downtime limits that prevents all but those apps you choose and phone calls to come through. Once an app limit has been reached you’ll have to grant permission to bypass that limit.

You can also surface reports that reveal your device usage, cluing you in on how often you pick up your phone, including when you pick it up during downtime. And you’ll be able to get the usage breakout by games, social networking and other app categories.

Because iOS 12 is in beta, I wasn’t able yet able to apply Family Sharing limits on my kids’ devices since they’re not yet running the latest software.

Those of you who have trouble sleeping might appreciate a new Do Not Disturb during Bedtime feature that dims the display and holds notifications until your set wake-up time.

Group FaceTime

Apple has expanded FaceTime so that you can go beyond one-on-one video calls and use FaceTime with up to 32 people simultaneously. Since iOS 12 is in beta, you’ll have to wait to try this with other people who have loaded iOS 12, or MacOS Mojave, which is also in beta.

Improved multitasking gesture for iPhone X

When Apple removed the physical Home button on the iPhone X – as many people expect they’ll do on future models as well – those of us with Apple’s top-of-the-line handset had to learn a few new navigational gestures.

Though some gestures such as swiping up from the bottom of the screen to return to a Home screen were simple, I couldn’t say the same for the hoops you had to go through on the X to dismiss a running app. First, you had to summon the app switcher or multitasking screen by swiping up and pausing for a second or so. But before you could shut down an app, you had to press down for a moment on a card until a circled red dash appears on the upper left corner. Only then could you swipe up to dismiss that app and any others. With iOS 12, Apple no longer requires you to pause. To which I say, "thank you."

Set up a second Face ID

As of now anyway, the iPhone X is also the only iPhone to let you take advantage of Face ID facial recognition, but you can only unlock your phone with one person’s mug. Through iOS 12 you can set up what Apple refers to as an “alternate appearance,” perhaps letting you share your device with your significant other. I gave it to a colleague, and he was able to set up his face, giving us both access to the loaner iPhone X.

Improved Safari privacy

Privacy and security have always been of the upmost concern, and it's not always easy to tell how companies address those issues. Among the measures Apple is taking as part of iOS 12: By default, the Safari browser will prevent you from getting tracked without your permission when you tap a “Like,”or “Share” social media button or a comment widget at a site.

Using AirPods as a hearing aid

If you have trouble hearing another person in a crowded restaurant or bar or can’t hear the professor when you sit in the rear of a lecture hall this new feature could come in handy, assuming you have Apple’s wireless $159 AirPods. In iOS 12 you can now exploit a "Live Listen" assistive hearing app feature that previously was available only with compatible, third-party devices such as hearing aids or implants.

To turn it on, make sure your AirPods are paired per usual through Bluetooth on your iOS 12 device. Then, in Settings go to Control Center, tap Customize Controls and then Hearing. After placing the AirPods in your ears, bring up Control Center on your phone, tap Hearing and then tap Live Listen.

By using the iPhone’s microphone as a directional mic, you’ll hear the amplified sound through the AirPods. Just make sure to place the phone next to the person you want to hear for optimal results, lest you hear unwanted noises.

Calling 911

This is a feature you hopefully won’t have to take advantage of. In iOS 12, people who call 911 using an iPhone would have their location automatically shared with first responders, potentially reducing the time for the victim of an accident, crime, fire or health emergency to get help in a life-saving situation.

Voice Memos improvements

As a journalist I sometimes record interviews using the built-in Voice Memos app. You can now sync recordings across all your iOS devices. And Apple has added a couple of useful playback features: buttons that let you skip ahead or retreat by 15 seconds. Voice Memos is also available for the first time on the iPad. I still wish Apple would add one more missing feature: the ability to play back recordings at faster (or slower) speeds.

Measure app

Using augmented reality, you can measure objects by drawing virtual lines in free space inside this new Measure app. It's based on ARKit, which requires an iPhone as old as the SE or 6s models, or a fifth-generation or iPad Pro models. The app also includes the level which was previously in the Compass app on older iOS versions.

Memojis

As part of iOS 12, Apple is letting you create customized avatars or Memojis.(Photo: Apple)

You had to figure that Apple would build upon the roster of animated emojis or Animojis that it introduced with the iPhone X. And yes,there are now ghost, koala, tiger and T. rex Animojis.

But the real fun – or depending on your point of view, waste of time – starts or ends with Memojis, the Animojis you create that look just like an animated you.

You can add freckles, facial hair, various hairstyles, eyewear and other touches in designing your cartoonish alter ego, making sure to make a face or stick out your tongue for the final, um, flourish. You can then share Memojis in an iMessage or use them in a FaceTime video call from your iPhone X.

Stocks

The newly-designed iOS 12 stock(Photo: USA TODAY)

Apple has dressed up the built-in Stocks app in iOS 12 with more interactive charts, color-coded sparklines and an overall design that better reveals how your portfolio is performing.

Performance

You may not immediately notice in the beta, but Apple is promising an overall zippier performance once iOS 12 is on your phone. Apple claims apps will launch up to 40 percent faster, the keyboard up to 50 percent faster and the camera up to 70 percent faster. Since Apple got into a pickle late last year after it admitted to slowing down older iPhones with suspect batteries, performance is something all of us will be closely watching once the software is released in the fall.

Good news for iPhone fans with older devices: Anyone with iOS 11 (or an iPhone 5s or later) will be able to download iOS 12. Just keep in mind that some of the features arriving with the latest software will require or work better on more recent models.